Sophomore Civil Engineering major Saeed Kris Jones has been an example of hard work and dedication on and off the Cross Country course. Saeed who is originally from Winton, N.C. begun his career at Hertford County High School. Jones has been running for six years now; he started his freshman year in high school. This year will be his first year running Track since his senior year in high school. In his senior year of high school Jones got his track uniform retired, earned three runner of the year awards, and three MVP awards. Throughout his high school career he earned five individual conference championship titles in four different events, and competed in three state championships, two of which was held at A&T. “I love the spirit of competition that comes with the sport.  Victory is a great feeling, but a hard fought race and a PR doesn’t always guarantee a win. On days like those it’s just fun to be out there on the track,” said Jones.

As far as this season goes Jones main focus is making sure he scores as many points as possible in every meet. “When I step onto the track, I want other schools to know that when the result sheet is posted I took points away from them. I feel that by racing strategically and approaching big meets aggressively, the points will come and the records will fall. In the classroom, I am focused on steadily raising my grade point average through graduation in 2015.“

Academically Jones currently holds a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. He is also the president of Aggie Engineering Toastmasters, a public speaking organization here on campus, and he serves in student government as the Chief of Staff of the Sophomore Class Council. “The transition from high school to college didn’t go as smoothly as I would have liked, but after taking a year off from track I’ve found my balance and I’m doing solid work,” said  Jones.

With hopes to be a Senior Civil Engineer Professional at a sustainable engineering firm the possibility of being a Fortune 500 CE0 is not out of the question for him.  “I’ve always liked infrastructure so Civil Engineering was an easy choice for me. Personally, I think that all engineering majors are challenging, but there’s a misconception that we have a heavy workload. In reality the work that we do just requires a lot of attention to detail. The assignments may be few, but the work that they call for can lead to plenty of all-nighters if you aren’t careful.”  “ As a student-athlete, I’ve learned that doing great work in the classroom allows for stress free performance on the track. It’s hard to perform well when you’re standing at the starting line thinking about your grades when the gun goes off.”

Not only does Jones perform well on the track and in the classroom but he also  holds a major impact on his coach and teammates. “Saeed has exceptionally over performed this season the his pre season expectations. He went from a thirty minute AK runner to the school record holder of 26:31. In the future I expect him to run under fifteen minutes in the 5K and in the mid 24’s next fall. Saeed leads by his incredible hard work ethic,” said cross-country coach Joel Pearson.

Senior business marketing major and fellow teammate Paris Simmons said “ Saeed always leads by example, and always willing to help others. He is not selfish because not only does he want to do well he wants his team to do well.”  

Other than running Saeed enjoys skate boarding, the outdoors and writing. “I don’t write poetry as often as I used too, but I’ve always found that writing can be very entertaining when you just want to take some time for yourself. I usually write a poem or two on the bus ride to away meets to help keep my mind at ease, so my notebook is always with me.”

Overall Saeed plans to keep up the fight in the classroom and on the track. He is proud of his improvements and his team improvements. The Men’s XC was limited to five runners this year due to the injuries of some runners, but this didn’t stop them from making 2nd and 4th place finishes in the Meac Championship.  Saeed has contributed much to the team such as breaking the 8K records twice.

Influenced by his father who was also a well-known runner and his mother who always pushed academics Jones is prepared to succeed in all aspects.

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• Meagan Jordan, Contributor